For as the girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear.
For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.
¶ Thus saith the LORD, Go and get a potter's earthen bottle, and [take] of the ancients of the people, and of the ancients of the priests;
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Commentary for Jeremiah 13:1
Jeremiah 13:1 is the opening verse of a larger narrative that extends through verse 11, where God instructs the prophet Jeremiah to perform a symbolic act. In this verse, God commands Jeremiah to procure a linen girdle, which was a type of undergarment or loincloth commonly worn in ancient times, and to fasten it around his waist without washing it. This command serves as a tangible object lesson for the people of Judah, illustrating a message from God.
The historical context of this passage is set during the tumultuous period leading up to the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BCE. Jeremiah, known as the "weeping prophet," was called by God to deliver messages of judgment and warning to the kingdom of Judah due to their idolatry and disobedience. The themes present in this verse include the use of symbolic actions to convey prophetic messages, the importance of heeding divine instruction, and the impending judgment on Judah for their unfaithfulness to God.
In the subsequent verses, Jeremiah follows God's instructions, wearing the girdle, then hiding it in a cleft of a rock by the Euphrates River. Later, he retrieves it to find it ruined and good for nothing, which God uses as a metaphor for how He will ruin Judah's pride because they have not listened to Him, have followed other gods, and have become obstinate and rebellious. Thus, Jeremiah 13:1 introduces a powerful visual aid to emphasize the consequences of apostasy and the certainty of God's judgment if the people do not repent and return to Him.
*This commentary is produced by Microsoft/WizardLM-2-8x22B AI model
Strong's Numbers and Definitions:
Note: H = Hebrew (OT), G = Greek (NT)
Strong's Number: H559 There are 4434 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: אָמַר Transliteration: ʼâmar Pronunciation: aw-mar' Description: a primitive root; to say (used with great latitude); answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [idiom] plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), [idiom] still, [idiom] suppose, talk, tell, term, [idiom] that is, [idiom] think, use (speech), utter, [idiom] verily, [idiom] yet.
Strong's Number: H3068 There are 5521 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: יְהֹוָה Transliteration: Yᵉhôvâh Pronunciation: yeh-ho-vaw' Description: from הָיָה; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God; Jehovah, the Lord. Compare יָהּ, יְהֹוִה.
Strong's Number: H1980 There are 468 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: הָלַךְ Transliteration: hâlak Pronunciation: haw-lak' Description: akin to יָלַךְ; a primitive root; to walk (in a great variety of applications, literally and figuratively); (all) along, apace, behave (self), come, (on) continually, be conversant, depart, [phrase] be eased, enter, exercise (self), [phrase] follow, forth, forward, get, go (about, abroad, along, away, forward, on, out, up and down), [phrase] greater, grow, be wont to haunt, lead, march, [idiom] more and more, move (self), needs, on, pass (away), be at the point, quite, run (along), [phrase] send, speedily, spread, still, surely, [phrase] tale-bearer, [phrase] travel(-ler), walk (abroad, on, to and fro, up and down, to places), wander, wax, (way-) faring man, [idiom] be weak, whirl.
Strong's Number: H7069 There are 76 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: קָנָה Transliteration: qânâh Pronunciation: kaw-naw' Description: a primitive root; to erect, i.e. create; by extension, to procure, especially by purchase (causatively, sell); by implication to own; attain, buy(-er), teach to keep cattle, get, provoke to jealousy, possess(-or), purchase, recover, redeem, [idiom] surely, [idiom] verily.
Strong's Number: H6593 There are 15 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: פִּשְׁתֶּה Transliteration: pishteh Pronunciation: pish-teh' Description: from the same as פַּשׁ as in the sense of comminuting; linen (i.e. the thread, as carded); flax, linen.
Strong's Number: H232 There are 259 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: אֵזוֹר Transliteration: ʼêzôwr Pronunciation: ay-zore' Description: from אֲזִקִּים; something girt; a belt, also a band; girdle.
Strong's Number: H7760 There are 550 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: שׂוּם Transliteration: sûwm Pronunciation: soom Description: or שִׂים; a primitive root; to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically); [idiom] any wise, appoint, bring, call (a name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider, convey, determine, [phrase] disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out), mark, [phrase] name, [idiom] on, ordain, order, [phrase] paint, place, preserve, purpose, put (on), [phrase] regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set (on, up), shew, [phrase] stedfastly, take, [idiom] tell, [phrase] tread down, (over-)turn, [idiom] wholly, work.
Strong's Number: H4975 There are 45 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: מֹתֶן Transliteration: môthen Pronunciation: mo'-then Description: from an unused root meaning to be slender; properly, the waist or small of the back; only in plural the loins; [phrase] greyhound, loins, side.
Strong's Number: H935 There are 2307 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: בּוֹא Transliteration: bôwʼ Pronunciation: bo Description: a primitive root; to go or come (in a wide variety of applications); abide, apply, attain, [idiom] be, befall, [phrase] besiege, bring (forth, in, into, to pass), call, carry, [idiom] certainly, (cause, let, thing for) to come (against, in, out, upon, to pass), depart, [idiom] doubtless again, [phrase] eat, [phrase] employ, (cause to) enter (in, into, -tering, -trance, -try), be fallen, fetch, [phrase] follow, get, give, go (down, in, to war), grant, [phrase] have, [idiom] indeed, (in-) vade, lead, lift (up), mention, pull in, put, resort, run (down), send, set, [idiom] (well) stricken (in age), [idiom] surely, take (in), way.
Strong's Number: H4325 There are 525 instances of this translation in the Bible Lemma: מַיִם Transliteration: mayim Pronunciation: mah'-yim Description: dual of a primitive noun (but used in a singular sense); water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen; [phrase] piss, wasting, water(-ing, (-course, -flood, -spring)).